It's a tough decision to put down any animal but shelters have to do it every day.
It was a run-of-the mill day at a shelter in Iowa, USA and sadly for Rudolph, the seven to eight-month old puppy, he had to be euthanized. There was nothing wrong with him, the shelter was simply too full.
But what was supposed to be a routine operation turned into a miracle.
Despite the labrador-pitbull mix being pumped full of the medicine that kills most dogs, he came back from the dead. It was such a strange occurrence that the veterinarian refused to euthanize him again.
He was taken to Kings Harvest Pet Rescue No Kill Shelter, which put up a statement saying: "So we brought him to our shelter in hopes somebody would come adopt him and give him a second chance at life. If you're interested in this adorable young man stop by and meet him."
The story quickly circulated around the world and people were throwing their applications in left, right and centre. When staff arrived the day after putting the post on Facebook they had dozens of missed calls wanting to meet the dog who lived.
Kylie Jo Mitchell, a worker at Kings Harvest Pet Rescue No Kill Shelter, told WQAD: "He's a miracle dog, absolutely. I've never heard of anything like this ever, this is a first."
One of the people who was vying to take the dog home was Jacob Hommer who drove from two and a half hours away to be the first in line when the office opened in the morning. But he wanted to give Rudolph to a returned soldier suffering from PTSD.
He told the news site: "My family and I we have bred Siberian Huskies for combat veterans, Purple Heart recipients, combat wounded veterans.
"I sent him the story on this dog. I said, 'Check this dog out and the incredible story.'"
The veteran was very emotional about the Harry Potter-esque dog and was desperate to provide a forever home for him.
Hommer added: "Having a dog, it's something to wake up and fight for and especially a lot of these vets they are struggling to find a reason to get up in the day."
While that sounded like a match made in heaven, Kings Harvest went with another applicant.
Advert
The shelter wrote on Facebook: "Rudolph is heading to his forever home. It was a tough decision with so many wonderful applications but Rudolph fell in love with this young man and the feeling was mutual."
Kings Harvest said that while many missed out on taking Rudolph home, it encouraged many to pick up the other pets who sorely needed a new owner.
Featured Image Credit: Kings Harvest Pet Rescue No Kill Shelter/FacebookTopics: Puppy, Feels, Community, Animals